Animal-gun.



C. C. da L. E. GLEASON.

ANHVIAL GUN.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6. 1915.

Patented July 10, 1917.

Leal?. GLeasorL.

ATIORNEYS i er orc.

CLARENCEV o. eLEasoiv ,Arm inno n. ennrisoiv, Orsenna onUz, CALIFORNIA.

ANIMAL-GUN'.

Specieatioii of Letters Patent.

Patented aaiy io, ieir.

Application led December 6, 1915. Serial No. 65,243.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, CLARENCE C. CLEA- soN and LEO E. GLEAsoN, citizens of the United States, residing at Santa Cruz, in the county of Santa Cruz and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Animal-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to animal guns; and has for its object to simplify and improve the construction and operation of such devices. 4 ln carrying out this object we employ an improved cylinder provided with a springpressed firing pin, and having an improved trigger arrangement for releasing said pin when an obstruction, such as a burrowing animal, meets the same, and an improved forni of barrel hinged upon the cylinder and adapted to receive a cartridge. n

One form which our invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 shows a vertical, longitudinal, central, sectional view of a device embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the same.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the device there shown is made up of a cylinder 10, carrying a firing pin 11 movable longitudinally in the cylinder and having a projecting rear end extending through a small opening formed in a screw cap 12 fitted on said cylinder. A collar or enlarged portion 13 is formed upon said pin, near its forward end, and a compression spring 14, carried by the pin, resides between said collar and the screw cap 12 so that when the pin is drawn rearwardly, by means of the projecting rear end, the spring is put under tension.

For retaining the firing pin in its rearward position, we employ a trigger 15, constructed of spring wire and laid partially upon the top of the cylinder, being held thereon by means of a bent end 16 embedded in the cylinder and having an upwardly and forwardly curved corner portion 17 and a downwardly extending end portion 18 passing through an opening in the wall of the cylinder engage the forward end of the collar 13 on the pin.

For controlling the trigger 15 we employ and terminating in a position to a trip plate 19 constructed of a widened flat portion normally projecting upwardly from the cylinder and pivoted, at its lower end, upon pintles 2O carried in brackets 21 formed integrally upon a jacket 22 covering the cylinder. The trip plate 19 is cut away at its 'lower end to form a recess 23 for the reception of the curved corner portion 17 of the trigger, and when the said trip plate is moved to vertical or upstanding position it acts to move the trigger downwardly on account of the curved corner portion 17 being shaped in the manner of a cam.- A lug 241 is formed upon the end of the corner portion 17 to limit the forward movement of the trip plate. The parts are so arranged that the said trip plate, when moved rearwardly to` substantially horizontal position, disengages the curved corner portion 17 of the trigger and allows `the latter to move upwardly under its own tension.

The j acket-22, inclosing the cylinder 10,

has, at its rear end, outstanding leg portions 25 provided for the purpose of engaging the ground to retain the gun in position against rearward movement when the same is discharged. The forward end of the jacket 22 projects a considerable distance beyond the forward end of the cylinder 10 and is made substantially channel-shaped in cross seetion to receive a barrel 26 in alineinent with the cylinder 10. The barrel 26 is pivoted or hinged at its forward end to the jacket 22 by means of a pin 27 and can be swung upwardlyto the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 for the purpose of receiving a blank cartridge 28 when loading the gun. The barrel 26`is rounded at its forward end i and has a discharge opening 29 arranged at the forward upper corner of said end so that the explosion caused by the discharge of the cartridge 28 passes through said opening. A 38 caliber blank cartridge may be used, the explosion from which directed toward the animal., instantly kills the animal. Gopher guns of this sort employing blank cartridges have been in practical use for some time.

In the operation of the device just described, the barrel is loaded with a blank cartridge in the manner already indicated Vand the firing pin, which normally is projected forwardly a slight distance into the rear end of the barrel 26, is readily cocked by drawing the saine rearwardly to put the spring 1,4 under compression, whereupon i movement of the trip plate 119 from `horizontal tovertical position will set the trigger l5 to retain the pin in this position;

The device'is then placed under ground in the vpath of a burrowing animal `and the Y disch-arge takes place when the animal has,

n trippedthe plate lQQUOrdinarilythis trip-Y 10.

by moving the ,loose earth in front of him,

ping will take place some time before `the animal has reached the gun, on account of Y the movement of the loose earth in front, so that it becomes advantageous to have the discharge or explosion from the blank carto permit the end 18 .of the trigger to move thereagainst when the gun. is in inoperative position. and .thus to relieve thetension on I the spring .Wire of Which the trigger is made. Ity will be noted that we have succeeded 'in producing a gun having a miniinum, of projecting throughout as to prevent its clogging when par-ts `and s o'; inclosed buried in Vloose earth. 1 Another important advantage of our device isthehinged arrangement of the barrel whereby the discharged cartridge can be easily'removed andthe barrel reloaded in aminimum of time.

. vChanges and modifications in the construction and arrangement of the several partsof .our device may, obviously be employed withoutdeparting vfrom the spirit of our invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

Having' thus described our invention,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for what we claim and desire to secure by Lettells Patent iS- 1. In an animal gun for use in the ground, the combination of a cylinder, a spring-actuated yfiring pin therein, a spring retracted trigger projecting through the cylinder to engage the firing pin, and an upstanding trip plate pivoted on the cylinder for holding the said trigger with the ,firing pin, said trip plate being adapted to be actuated by a burrowing animal to release the trigger.

2. In an animal gun, the combination of a cylinder, a spring-actuated firing pin carried therein, -a spring wire trigger on the cylinder having an angular extension passing through an opening in the wall thereof to engage the firing pin and provided with a curved upwardly and forwardly projecting corner, .and an upstanding trip link pivoted on said cylinder and working against the curved corner portion of the trigger lo retain the latter in engaged position with the firing pin.

3. In an animal gun, the conibination of a cylinder, a firing pin carried thereby, a bar rel to receive a cartridge, a jacket carried on said cylinder and having a channelshaped forward extension embracing the barrel, and a hinged connection between the forward end of the barrel and said channelshaped eirtension.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two snbscribing witnesses.

CLARENCE C. GLEASYON. LEO E. GLEASON.

J r., HAZEL M. COLLINS.

vev cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents n Washington, D. C.

in engaged position 

